California wildfire wreaks havoc as wind-driven blaze forces scorches 11,000 acres and forces residents to flee their homes – with at least two firefighters injured
- The Fire broke out at an explosive materials testing site in Northern California
- Late Saturday evening the huge fire only 13 percent was under control
A forest fire in Tracy, California is furious and has already burned about 11,000 acres in the west coast state and forced the evacuation of thousands.
The Corral Fire was first reported Saturday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. According to the California Fire Department, the fire was only 13 percent contained as of midnight.
The firewhich is quickly driven by wind, jumped Interstate 580, prompting evacuation orders for communities east of the main artery.
Evacuation orders are in effect for the Tracy Golf and Country Club, as well as the Tesla Treatment facility.
At least two firefighters were injured while trying to contain the blaze, according to the Santa Clara California Fire Unit. Both were hospitalized with mild to moderate burns.
A firefighter tries to extinguish part of the huge 11,000 hectare fire
The fire started Saturday afternoon at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300
A view of flames as firefighters try to extinguish the Corral Fire that broke out Saturday near I-580 and Highway 132
Remains of destroyed properties in the Tracy area after the fire swept through
The cause of the fire outbreak remains unclear; an investigation is underway
Two firefighters were injured Saturday while battling the blaze, neither with life-threatening injuries
The fire reportedly started at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300 on the border of San Joaquin and Alameda counties.
Site 300 is home to facilities that support explosive materials development as well as hydrodynamic testing.
Those managing the site assess the operational capability of non-nuclear weapons components and test new conventional explosives to potentially replenish the nuclear stockpile.
Winds of up to 60 km/h were expected overnight and would continue to spread the fire.
At this time it remains unclear how the fire started; research into its origins is still ongoing.
Tracy police said firefighters will conduct a controlled burn near Tracy Hills, just below the evacuated area.
A controlled burn was previously scheduled for May 28 at the Site 300 lab – the LA Times reports no controlled burns were performed Saturday.
California trees glow red in the light of the blazing fire
Several thousand people temporarily lost power on Saturday evening when power lines went down near the fire
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported two fire-related power outages on Saturday evening.
The first occurred because Cal Fire requested that power be turned off to several lines to ensure the safety of their firefighters. The outage affected approximately 1,600 people.
The second, which affected about 2,350 customers, was caused by damage to PG&E equipment.
By late Saturday evening, power had been restored to all but about 200 customers.
